You’ve reached the Melasdesign brand / artist Susan Hicks visionary art blog. It’s a special spot for art news on new projects, products, musings, and general updates from Melasdesign. Read about the creation of colorful illustration and abstract art inspired by dreams and meditation, plus dark art and trippy patterns from a straight edge gal. Susan also covers beloved subjects from pet portraits to political satire (in the tradition of Dada) and Halloween fun. Come along on Susan’s visionary journey, in the works since that first box of crayons, way back when.
On a quiet day in the small town of Thomas, West Virginia, residents were startled by a large, furry, biped creature running amok in the south end of town. After rumors of previous Sasquatch activity and Bigfoot sightings in the area over the years, this footage offers shocking new evidence of a possible Bigfoot. Will the Rail Trail ever be the same again with knowledge of this beast afoot? See the amazing video below.
Something about these cement pipes struck my imagination. It seemed a bit foolish to ponder them over time, but each time I passed them on the way to the Rail Trail in Thomas, West Virginia, they caught my eye. With the promise of the trail’s gorgeous natural surroundings, the pipes probably go unnoticed by many. I imagined a new life for them in visionary mandala art. They became “Pipes Field Mandala.”
Sometimes one good experience leads to another. This was the case when my first time participating as vendor at Artspring Festival art market in Davis, West Virginia lead to a challenging but rewarding commission of a pet portrait of Blanche the golden Labradoodle. Also rewarding was that the art commission came from what had to be one of the world’s nicest customers. There were trials and tribulations along the way while creating the detailed Labradoodle pet portrait, brought on by dealing with neuromuscular disease (which I detail in my blog Living with Myasthenia Gravis from a Patient’s Perspective). In the end the job was successfully completed and everyone was happy. Blanche, the model pup, looks happy about it too. Watch the video below and read on for my drawing techniques, physical trials during composition, how I became ambidextrous again.
Join me on this exploratory trip down memory lane, with its potholes and traffic jams, by way of a self-portrait art from 1991. This quickly executed scrawl on graphed notebook paper encompassed so much of my life experience in one sentence: It’s taken me 21.5 years of seeing this face to even get this far. “This face.” It’s almost like it was one of multiple faces, or maybe not even my own image. Read on for my interpretation of the drawing, 28 years later, and how my perception and individual experiences influenced my personal philosophy.
Welcome to my little expose on my latest abstract landscape painting in acrylics called “Windy Day in Tucker County.” I’ll discuss my ideas and inspiration for the mountain setting windpower theme, materials used, color choices and a new direction in my work that is a return to what I’ve always loved to do. I’ll also touch on creating art as a disabled person.
Look at my self portrait. What is this philosophy of kindness? Perhaps it was how I was raised, or my late mother’s genes, but one thing I always try to do is see the good in others. I do my best to be kind and helpful when I am in the position to, even with folks I may only encounter once. I have met many wonderful people this way. Usually kindness is returned, even if only through a smile that tells everything.
It’s nice to meet someone who loves Halloween as much as yourself. It’s also great if they too have dreamed of creating a DIY, homemade Halloween yard display. Better still if they are a gifted creator. Fantastic if their talents work complimentarily to your own. This was the experience which ultimately led to a magical Halloween featuring a staging of Terry Pratchett’s Wyrd Sisters, witches from literature.
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